Referral Patterns, Procedures, and Outcomes of a Large Community- Based Urology Group: a Retrospective Chart Review

In 2012 The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommended against prostate cancer (Pca) screening. The purpose of our study is to assess the effects of the USPSTF grade D recommendation for PSA based screening on new PCa diagnoses within a large-community based private practice setting. We completed a retrospective chart review of men with an elevated PSA seen in our clinic between May 2009–May 2015 who had undergone a prostate biopsy and were diagnosed with PCa. We observed that following the 2012 USPSTF recommendations, there was a significant increase in patients with clinically significant prostate cancer GG ≥ 2, with the majority being 55-65 years of age. In addition we observed a decrease in the diagnosis of very low and low risk PCa with an increased incidence of intermediate and high risk PCa

Analysis of the RC catalog sample in the region overlapping with the regions of the FIRST and SDSS surveys: I. Identification of sources with the VLSS, TXS, NVSS, FIRST, and GB6 catalogs

Radio sources of the RC catalog produced in 1980--1985 at RATAN-600 radio telescope based on a deep survey of a sky strip centered on the declination of the SS 433 source are optically identified in the region overlapping with FIRST and SDSS surveys (about 132 square degrees). The NVSS catalog was used as the reference catalog for refining the coordinates of the radio sources. The morphology is found for about 75% of the objects of the sample and the ratio of single, double and multicomponent radio sources is computed based on FIRST radio maps. The 74, 365, 1400, and 4850 MHz data of the VLSS, TXS, NVSS, FIRST, and GB6 catalogs are used to analyze the shape of the spectra.Comment: 16 pages, 3 figure

Sulfide Generation by Dominant Halanaerobium Microorganisms in Hydraulically Fractured Shales

Hydraulic fracturing of black shale formations has greatly increased United States oil and natural gas recovery. However, the accumulation of biomass in subsurface reservoirs and pipelines is detrimental because of possible well souring, microbially induced corrosion, and pore clogging. Temporal sampling of produced fluids from a well in the Utica Shale revealed the dominance of Halanaerobium strains within the in situ microbial community and the potential for these microorganisms to catalyze thiosulfate-dependent sulfidogenesis. From these field data, we investigated biogenic sulfide production catalyzed by a Halanaerobium strain isolated from the produced fluids using proteogenomics and laboratory growth experiments. Analysis of Halanaerobium isolate genomes and reconstructed genomes from metagenomic data sets revealed the conserved presence of rhodanese-like proteins and anaerobic sulfite reductase complexes capable of converting thiosulfate to sulfide. Shotgun proteomics measurements using a Halanaerobium isolate verified that these proteins were more abundant when thiosulfate was present in the growth medium, and culture-based assays identified thiosulfate-dependent sulfide production by the same isolate. Increased production of sulfide and organic acids during the stationary growth phase suggests that fermentative Halanaerobium uses thiosulfate to remove excess reductant. These findings emphasize the potential detrimental effects that could arise from thiosulfate-reducing microorganisms in hydraulically fractured shales, which are undetected by current industry-wide corrosion diagnostics. IMPORTANCE Although thousands of wells in deep shale formations across the United States have been hydraulically fractured for oil and gas recovery, the impact of microbial metabolism within these environments is poorly understood. Our research demonstrates that dominant microbial populations in these subsurface ecosystems contain the conserved capacity for the reduction of thiosulfate to sulfide and that this process is likely occurring in the environment. Sulfide generation (also known as “souring”) is considered deleterious in the oil and gas industry because of both toxicity issues and impacts on corrosion of the subsurface infrastructure. Critically, the capacity for sulfide generation via reduction of sulfate was not detected in our data sets. Given that current industry wellhead tests for sulfidogenesis target canonical sulfate-reducing microorganisms, these data suggest that new approaches to the detection of sulfide-producing microorganisms may be necessary

Association studies of up to 1.2 million individuals yield new insights into the genetic etiology of tobacco and alcohol use.

Tobacco and alcohol use are leading causes of mortality that influence risk for many complex diseases and disorders1. They are heritable2,3 and etiologically related4,5 behaviors that have been resistant to gene discovery efforts6-11. In sample sizes up to 1.2 million individuals, we discovered 566 genetic variants in 406 loci associated with multiple stages of tobacco use (initiation, cessation, and heaviness) as well as alcohol use, with 150 loci evidencing pleiotropic association. Smoking phenotypes were positively genetically correlated with many health conditions, whereas alcohol use was negatively correlated with these conditions, such that increased genetic risk for alcohol use is associated with lower disease risk. We report evidence for the involvement of many systems in tobacco and alcohol use, including genes involved in nicotinic, dopaminergic, and glutamatergic neurotransmission. The results provide a solid starting point to evaluate the effects of these loci in model organisms and more precise substance use measures

Performance of the multiband imaging photometer for SIRTF

We describe the test approaches and results for the Multiband Imaging Photometer for SIRTF. To verify the performance within a `faster, better, cheaper' budget required innovations in the test plan, such as heavy reliance on measurements with optical photons to determine instrument alignment, and use of an integrating sphere rather than a telescope to feed the completed instrument at its operating temperature. The tests of the completed instrument were conducted in a cryostat of unique design that allowed us to achieve the ultra-low background levels the instrument will encounter in space. We controlled the instrument through simulators of the mission operations control system and the SIRTF spacecraft electronics, and used cabling virtually identical to that which will be used in SIRTF. This realistic environment led to confidence in the ultimate operability of the instrument. The test philosophy allowed complete verification of the instrument performance and showed it to be similar to pre-integration predictions and to meet the instrument requirements

The Diverse and Dynamic Nature of Leishmania Parasitophorous Vacuoles Studied by Multidimensional Imaging

An important area in the cell biology of intracellular parasitism is the customization of parasitophorous vacuoles (PVs) by prokaryotic or eukaryotic intracellular microorganisms. We were curious to compare PV biogenesis in primary mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages exposed to carefully prepared amastigotes of either Leishmania major or L. amazonensis. While tight-fitting PVs are housing one or two L. major amastigotes, giant PVs are housing many L. amazonensis amastigotes. In this study, using multidimensional imaging of live cells, we compare and characterize the PV biogenesis/remodeling of macrophages i) hosting amastigotes of either L. major or L. amazonensis and ii) loaded with Lysotracker, a lysosomotropic fluorescent probe. Three dynamic features of Leishmania amastigote-hosting PVs are documented: they range from i) entry of Lysotracker transients within tight-fitting, fission-prone L. major amastigote-housing PVs; ii) the decrease in the number of macrophage acidic vesicles during the L. major PV fission or L. amazonensis PV enlargement; to iii) the L. amazonensis PV remodeling after homotypic fusion. The high content information of multidimensional images allowed the updating of our understanding of the Leishmania species-specific differences in PV biogenesis/remodeling and could be useful for the study of other intracellular microorganisms

Extent and prevalence of post-exercise and nocturnal hypoglycemia following peri-exercise bolus insulin adjustments in individuals with type 1 diabetes

To detail the extent and prevalence of post-exercise and nocturnal hypoglycemia following peri-exercise bolus insulin dose adjustments in individuals with type 1 diabetes (T1D) using multiple daily injections of insulins aspart (IAsp) and degludec (IDeg)

Climate change and the rise of the central Asian Silk Roads

The final centuries BCE (Before Common Era) saw the main focus of trade between the Far East and Europe switch from the so called Northern Route across the Asian steppes to the classical silk roads. The cities across central Asia flourished and grew in size and importance. While clearly there were political, economic and cultural drivers for these changes, there may also have been a role for changes in climate in this relatively arid region of Asia. Analysis of a new ensemble of snapshot global climate model simulations, run every 250 years over the last 6000 years, allows us to assess the long term climatological changes seen across the central Asian arid region through which the classical Silk Roads run. While the climate is comparatively stable through the Holocene, the fluctuations seen in these simulations match significant cultural developments in the region. From 1500 BCE the deterioration of climate from a transient precipitation peak, along with technological development and the immigration of Aryan nomads, drove a shift towards urbanization and probably irrigation, culminating in the founding of the major cities of Bukhara and Samarkand around 700–500 BCE. Between 1000 and 250 BCE the modelled precipitation in the central Asian arid region undergoes a transition towards wetter climates. The changes in the Western Disturbances, which is the key weather system for central Asian precipitation, provides 10% more precipitation and the increased hydrological resources may provide the climatological foundation for the golden era of Silk Road trade